The United Nations clarified on Monday that the total number of fatalities in Gaza reported by the Ministry of Health remains over 35,000 since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began on October 7.
This clarification follows a report by the UN humanitarian agency OCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) on May 8, which updated the data on Palestinian casualties in the conflict. The report from the UN agency lowered the estimated number of women and children who have lost their lives in the conflict by almost half.
The UN has reduced the number of reported deaths in Gaza by focusing on the number of deceased women and children with fully documented information, instead of the total number of women and children killed. The health ministry in Gaza has been publishing two separate death tolls - an overall death toll and a total number of identified fatalities.
According to UN spokesperson Farhan Haq, only the total number of fatalities with documented identities, such as name and date of birth, was included in the report. This has caused confusion as bodies arriving at hospitals are still being counted in the overall death count.
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The ministry recently shared a detailed breakdown of the 24,686 fully identified deaths out of the total 34,622 fatalities in Gaza as of April 30. Among these, there were 7,797 children, 4,959 women, 1,924 elderly, and 10,006 men, as reported by the UN spokesperson, referencing the Gaza health ministry.
It was mentioned by Haq that the health authority in Gaza is currently continuing the process of documenting the full identification details of the casualties.
Two officials from the Palestinian Ministry of Health informed CNN that despite having separate counts for identified and unidentified individuals, the overall death toll remains the same.
They also mentioned that the total number of casualties does not account for the estimated 10,000 individuals who are currently missing and stuck under debris.
Israel initiated its military attack on Gaza on October 7 in response to Hamas, the governing group in Gaza, causing the death of over 1,200 individuals in Israel and kidnapping more than 250 others. The prolonged blockade by Israel on the Palestinian territory has resulted in the destruction of significant areas of Gaza and a severe shortage of essential resources, putting the entire population of over 2.2 million people at risk of starvation.
According to a daily report from the Palestinian health ministry, which aligns with the figures published by OCHA in their updated version, a total of 15,103 children and 9,961 women have lost their lives in Gaza since October 7, as stated in the most recent report from the Gaza ministry of health.
The figures from the Ministry of Health in Gaza have been considered credible by both the UN and US officials. However, CNN is unable to confirm the accuracy of these numbers independently. The ministry does not differentiate between casualties among fighters and civilians.
Editor's P/S:
The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has resulted in a devastating loss of life, with the total number of fatalities exceeding 35,000. The recent clarification by the United Nations highlights the importance of accurate and documented information in reporting casualties, but it also underscores the tragic reality of the situation.
The reduction in the estimated number of women and children killed raises concerns about the potential undercounting of civilian deaths. The fact that bodies arriving at hospitals are still being counted in the overall death toll, while only those with fully documented identities are included in the UN report, further complicates the assessment of casualties. The ongoing process of documenting the full identification details of the casualties is crucial for ensuring accurate and comprehensive reporting. However, the estimated 10,000 missing individuals who are stuck under debris serve as a grim reminder of the true extent of the human tragedy in Gaza.
